Dance Medicine: Staying On Point(e)

By Victoria Looseleaf

Help is on the way! Yes, ‘tis the season to be merry, but it’s also time to let our readers know about Cedars-Sinai/USC School of Theatre Dance Medicine Center. Devoted to a dancer’s well-being (at least the physical aspects), the center, co-founded by Margo Apostolos, director of dance at USC, and Dr. Glenn Pfeffer, director of the foot and ankle program at the famed hospital, opened in March 2007. (Elizabeth Taylor spent the last six months of her life there; our dear friend, the late Ivan Moffat, a colleague of Taylor’s, was also a Cedars’ patient – click here for more info on him, including his having associated produced and named the film, A Place in the Sun.)

But we digress: As it’s not exactly news that dance is currently enjoying a kind of renaissance in Hollywood (click here to read our Dance Magazine story, Is Hollywood Rediscovering Dance?), the fact remains that more terpsichores are injuring themselves with more frequency. Hit television shows may be all the rage, but they’re also the source of mishaps, minor and major.

Part of the allure of offerings such as So You Think You Can Dance (click here to read our story on producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe), and Dancing With the Stars, is that viewers are privy to behind-the-scenes coverage, where sprains, pains and other corporeal ills are on full view. And although we wrote a Dance Teacher Magazine cover story on pro ballroomer, Cheryl Burke – click here for that – we were thrilled that Karina Smirnoff and JR Martinez, despite his having ankle problems during the show’s final weeks, managed to snag the mirror ball trophy (above).

Thus with long hours spent rehearsing a multitude of dances, it’s no surprise that performers are hurting more. Jennifer Grey, at left with partner Derek Hough, soldiered on to win DWTS, Season 11, this on top of having pre-existing spine and neck conditions.

As dancers become more aware of their bodies, it’s comforting to know there’s a center that provides comprehensive injury treatment, rehabilitation, and preventive care for both professional and recreational dancers alike. With Southern California at the forefront of this burgeoning field, the program is, well, precisely what the doctor ordered.

Click here, then, to read our article on the fascinating subject of dance medicine in this month’s issue of Dance Magazine, including the anecdotal bit about Dr. Pfeffer, who, as a young medical student, was involved in George Balanchine‘s heart surgery.

 

About Victoria Looseleaf

Victoria Looseleaf is an award winning arts journalist and regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, KUSC-FM radio, Dance Magazine, Performances Magazine and other outlets. She roams the world covering dance, music, theater, film, food and architecture. Have pen - and iPad - will travel! Her latest book, "Isn't It Rich? A Novella In Verse" is now available on Amazon. Thank you for reading! Cheers...
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